Carmen: We might as well recap while we walk. So we know there's a protest movement in the town to overthrow the Sultan. He's a dictator who's caused misery and poverty for his people!
The Bureau heads towards Tripoli, Libya, to investigate a protest movement against the Sultan, since it's the perfect opportunity for The Sword to stir up trouble. On their way there, Carmen and the player stumble upon an oasis in the middle of the desert, where they find the body of protest leader Hamza Boussefi killed with a bullet in the back of his head.
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: Thomas accidentally killed Hamza while he was interviewing him when he mistakenly pulls the trigger of his rifle during an inspection. For this reason, Judge Adaku only gives Thomas a 10-year prison sentence.
- Afraid of Blood: Elliot is revealed to be afraid of blood/dead bodies when he tells you Angela showed him the victim's body as part of an analysis.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Sultan Mahmoud is shown to be an absolutely despicable man whenever you talk to him, making it clear that he's willing to massacre the protesters if they keep bothering him and blackmailing you into helping him find an intruder or else he'll have them executed on your behalf. No wonder people want to overthrow him.
- Awful Wedded Life: Hamza and his wife Fatima had started to get rough on their matrimony due to the former becoming a rebel leader, putting the protest above everything and even telling his wife he didn't care if she or his unborn son died as long as he could keep fighting.
- Boom, Headshot!: How the victim was killed.
- Call-Back: Omar Bahir and Benjamin Scott reappear as suspects.
- Cannon Fodder: In a video recording of the victim, you find out he was encouraging people to use children and women as cannon fodder if necessary, as their sacrifice would be worth it if that meant the Sultan would be overthrown.
- Code Name: In addition to The Sword, is revealed that there's also someone (or something) operating under the alias of SOMBRA, financing The Sword so they can keep stirring up trouble.
- The Corrupter: Fatima accuses The Sword of being this, claiming that her husband was a perfectly normal person until The Sword talks him into becoming an extremist Rebel Leader.
- Crossing the Desert: The case begins with Carmen and the player going through the desert towards Tripoli.
- Dare to Be Badass: Omar dared the victim to put an example and become Cannon Fodder after he posted a video encouraging his followers to do the same with women and children, calling him a coward for refusing to do so.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The Sultan ordered Hamza to be killed on sight because he had thrown paint at him, which he classified as an assassination attempt.
- Endangering News Broadcast: Thomas has been doing this with the general population of Tripoli thanks to his immoral and untruthful reports.Carmen: This is about more than winning a prize, Thomas! The situation here is already a powder keg and you fabricated a story that could ignite the fuse!
- Going for the Big Scoop: The reason for Thomas visiting the danger-ridden Sahara is because he's looking for some news that will put him on the map, aiming to win a Pulitzer prize just like Carmen.
- Hated Hometown: Benjamin makes it clear that he hates the West and everything that has to do with it, claiming that his true hometown is among the rebels because he wants to fight for a change.Benjamin: Well, whatever. The point is, the Sultan sucks, the West sucks, and the Bureau sucks!
- Immoral Journalist: Thomas Cox, an American news reporter who has been reporting false propaganda to stir up the rebels even more and even claimed the Sultan had assassinated Hamza after accidentally Thomas killed him, aiming to get away with it and gain recognition with his news.Carmen: You're disgusting, Thomas! Instead of honoring the dead, you used Hamza's death for your own vile purposes!
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Just when Carmen laments how the Bureau has no way to speak with the Sultan, one of his guards barges in to tell the player the Sultan wants to see them.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Carmen threatens to punch Thomas in the face if he doesn't tell you anything about the info he's got on The Sword.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Sultan Mahmoud argues that governors always have people trying to take over their power, and getting rid of all of them would be nothing but trouble in the end.
- Lampshade Hanging: Carmen wonders why they have to find a body wherever they go.
- Mummy Wrap: Lars does this with a chicken that Angela was going to cook for dinner, much to her frustration.
- Only in It for the Money: The Sultan is convinced that Hamza was only leading the rebels because he wanted money, and you later find out this to be true since the only reason he became a Rebel Leader was because The Sword offered him money.Sultan Mahmoud: I invited Hamza to the palace and offered him a fancy job as minister. You know, to make him quiet. These protesters always say they want change, but I know what they really want. Fast cars, and buckets of money!
- Parental Neglect: The victim started doing this before his own son was even born, as he told his pregnant wife he didn't care about his well-being if that meant he could keep fighting for his right to protest.
- Playing Both Sides: Carmen accuses Omar of doing this since he's shown to be both supporting the rebels and being in cahoots with the Sultan.
- Powder Keg Crowd: The people from Tripoli are just a spark away from becoming violent towards the Sultan and authorities, and is revealed that The Sword has been rallying them up so they become an extremist group.
- Race Against the Clock: In Chapter 3, Carmen and the player must find who killed Hamza before the Sultan grows tired of the protesters accusing him of being the murderer and decides to kill them all.
- Rebel Leader: The victim was this, being the leader of the protest in Tripoli against the Sultan.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: The protests against the Sultan have been relatively peaceful for now, but both Hamza and some members made clear that, if necessary, they are willing to get their hands dirty without a second thought.Carmen: It must be tough... Fighting for what you believe in, but knowing you're risking your life and the safety of the ones you love...
- Shout-Out:
- The case's title is like based on The Arab Spring.
- Wolf News Channel is a parody of Fox News.
- Buzzer is a parody of Twitter.
- Take That!: Throughout the case, Carmen criticizes Wolf News, a parody of Fox News, due to their questionable journalism methods, which include twisting the truth to fit their agenda, outright lying, and only reporting what sells instead of unbiased news.
- Troubled Teen: Benjamin, since he's been trying to join the rebels and protesters behind his parents' backs, believing he's making a change for the world. Elliot tries to talk some sense into him during the Additional Investigation, but it fails.
- Waving Signs Around: The protesters are shown to be doing this.
- Weak Boss, Strong Underlings: Conversed. Omar Bahir, aka The Sword, accuses the victim Hamza Bousseif of being this trope — that Hamza can put at risk the life of the protestants he leads in order to overthrow the Sultan but is too cowardly to do the same with his own life. Omar also encourages Hamza to become Cannon Fodder to demonstrate what a great leader he is.
